Reflection
by thequietlife
Summary: What if there was another Juunishi family? What would happen if they and the Sohmas were to meet? Could this encounter bring peace to the Sohma who needs it most, and ultimately end the curse on both houses?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket does NOT belong to me! I just admire it. ^^

Reflection: Prologue  
by Ozaki Amaya

----Excerpt from the journal of Ozaki Amaya, aged 16----

---Entry 1---

__

          ...The family secret... They wouldn't want me writing about it... If someone outside the family saw this, I don't know what they'd do to me, but it wouldn't be good... 

          I'm going crazy by myself... I need an outlet... Maybe I'll write a story... A biography... Oh, I don't know... This is the first time I really bothered to take a pen to paper and write my thoughts... I'm tired of merely thinking about this... So I'm going to write about it...

          The family secret is something our family tries to deny within itself... So much effort is taken to covering it up. Some might say my family is paranoid... Some would say they're merely cautious... I say they're causing me pain by keeping me here, away from everyone. Do you know what happens to people when they're alone? They go crazy... I nearly thought I would a few times... Maybe I have gone crazy... I wouldn't be surprised... 

          Who wouldn't go crazy if he were forced to live in the library alone? Who wouldn't be crazy if he lived in complete shame, and hid his face from the light for his entire life? 

          But who would want to know us if they knew about our curse? Who would want to know me if they knew... if they found out... I'm a demon...? They would scream. They would run away. They'd try to destroy me... 

          Could I blame them? ...Not even my family wants to know me... I wish I didn't know myself... But I'm forced to live with this... to hide my monstrous face... I feel like Frankenstein's monster... No, I was not made by the hands of a man from dead tissue... But if I had been, I wouldn't be any more ugly than I am in my true form... 

          No, not even my family wants me... I am the worst of them... they, who can never love anyone of the opposite sex outside of each other, because it's forbidden... forbidden by their bodies... by their bodies and by my body... Forbidden because we are cursed... Cursed by the bodies and the spirits of animals of the Juunishi... of which I am not even a part. I am the worst of them... Lucky number 13... an outcast in my own family... 

          And so I hide from the light... I hide from normal people... physically, emotionally... I am alone... Forever will be alone... 

          If it weren't for these books, I probably would have lost it a long time ago...

---Entry 2---

__

          I have to leave this place... I can't stand it anymore... I've almost run out of books to read, things to occupy my time, my mind... I feel like I'm in a cage... This isn't as much of a cage is they would have wanted for me... I have access to brilliant works of art and literature... I'm sure they don't know half of what I do, or they wouldn't have me locked up in here...

          I feel like an animal... It's true, though... I am an animal... Part of me, that is... A cat... Cats should never be caged... We should be free... Cats are independent by nature, yes... Independent... meaning they can take care of themselves... But a cat should have a pal. Everyone should have a pal. It gets awfully lonely without one... I've never had one... Not one... Everyone tiptoes around me as if I'm going to lash out and kill at any given moment... Maybe if they hadn't locked me up here, they wouldn't have anything to be afraid of... 

          One day, they'll wake up, and I will be nowhere to be found... I'll make a plan... Yes, that will occupy my mind... An escape plan... And they will be frightened out of their minds... "Oh no!!" they'll exclaim with trepidation, "The monster is loose! What will become of the world?!" 

          Well, while you guys are so caught up in your little world of "hide me, I'm so ashamed", I will enter the world, and be free. Don't worry; I have my own secret to hide... 

          "Never take off your beads," my mother said... And then she trapped me in this room... Didn't she know that I would explore? Didn't she know that I would take the beads off, just to see what happened? 

          Well, I did... one day... and I frightened myself... I never took the beads off again... 

          Do you really think I'd let anyone else see that? Do you really think I would be so foolish? I know what they would think of me... I know what they would do... I read Frankenstein_... In that condition, I would be forced to live my life alone, and the only friend I would ever have would be a blind man. _

---Entry 3---

__

          I heard the most beautiful music today. I have no idea who it was that was playing, or what song, but it was the most beautifully mournful piece I have ever heard.

          There is a piano in here that I sometimes play on. I taught myself to read music from some of the books in here... It really is an extensive library. Having to grow up in this library isn't so incredibly horrible sometimes... I have more time than anyone else my age, that's for sure... 

          I sometimes play things on the piano. Out of boredom, I've written a few songs, but they aren't too special... Not when compared to what it was that I heard today... Euphony...

          ...So my plan is made. I have managed to find all the necessary materials within this library. I managed to find some tote bags here... Hopefully I will be able to bring some of my favourite books, and my journal (my new-found best friend), my songs, and some other various mementos. Having read the old texts on how one should behave in society, I feel I am ready to enter the world... Albeit, nothing one reads in a book is exactly like real life, and is therefore skewed, but having read so many books, having learned so many things and done so much with my time here, I feel I could not be more prepared without actually having been out of this house. Given what I have had, I am as prepared as I will ever get. 

          There are a few windows above the bookshelves. Climbing the ladders from the bookshelves is enough to get to the windows. It, however, is quite a long fall to the ground from these windows, but I've created a method to enable myself to climb down. Inside my desk, I found a bunch of metal things, such as paperclips, which I took several of and twisted and bent them together to make very strong hooks. I also found plenty of string, which I wove together to make some stronger rope. I took the drawers out of my desk, and took them apart. The fronts of the drawers I whittled into wheels that I plan on using for pulleys. I haven't drilled holes into them yet, but I plan on doing that, and putting bent and twisted, strength-enforced paperclips through those holes and attach them to hooks, somewhat like this: 

drawing of a pulley

__

          On the lower end, I intend to attach a stack of books, which I will have taped together, with another hook. I will lower them out the window, and to the ground. I will repeat this until I have enough books to climb down. Hopefully it will be sturdy enough... I will have to use all the big books, too... but there are plenty of those. 

          I think this will really work!! I'll escape at night, of course... I think they underestimate my intelligence, but that's a good thing, in this case... I'll finally be free... Finally...

---Entry 4---

__

          I plan on leaving tomorrow night. I had a little trouble attaching the hook from the pulley to the ceiling, but I decided to attach it to the ladder instead. I did a mock run last night, with all the inside stuff. I am glad, for this purpose, that I have a cat's vision in the night. This is going to work! 

          ...I am feeling a little nervous, however, but... I can't stay here all my life. I can't let them trap me here. Not like this, not like now, when I've run out of books. This planning has kept me occupied of late, though. I am glad for that. It's amazing what one can do when he sets his mind to it. 

          The next time I write, I will be free...

          ...It just occurred to me that I will need money... I will have to figure out a way of obtaining some before my departure... I will think of something... But I do not want to enter the rest of the house. If I encounter someone, I am afraid of what I might do to him... All of them know I'm here... They are at least gracious enough to feed me daily... Or maybe they don't even bother with that... They just leave that up to the servants... I'd rather not think of that...

          I will think of something... else...

---Entry 5---

__

          I got one of the servants to get money for me. It was actually kind of fun. He came to give me my lunch today, and I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room. He looked horrified. "You've heard the stories about me, haven't you? About my... condition?" I asked menacingly. He said he had. I threatened that if he didn't produce a large amount of cash from me, gathered from all of my family members in the deep of night tonight, I would take his life. I need not say that I would never take anyone's life, especially the unknowing servants... I just needed something that would get him force him into acquiescence. I shall see at two o'clock in the morning if this method was successful. Hopefully he isn't the kind of servant who will tell my family head the goings on in this room. In case of that, I have hidden all my materials. I will retrieve them from their hiding places tonight, when I make to leave. 

          The next time I write, I will either be in a monetary dilemma, or I will be free. I hope it is the latter...

          ...But I realise now it may not be any better... I'll be the same person, with the same curse... with the same secret... It makes me wonder if death wouldn't be better... but I think I don't want to run away from my life. That's the most important thing. My life. It's all I have... 

  


* * *

**Author's note:**  
Sorry if you find some of these entries to be long and boring... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed to a decent extent getting to know my character Ozaki Amaya (from whom my pen name comes). 

Any suggestions, constructive criticisms, and comments are welcome!! ^^


	2. Encounter

Reflection: Encounter

By Ozaki Amaya

          Amaya sat in the library. Her work shift was over, but she just couldn't resist picking up another book and reading. She still had time. 

          She looked at her watch. _Damn it! Late! Again!_ She abruptly closed her book, and hurried over to the coat rack. She hastily put her coat on and rushed out of the building.

          This was truly becoming troublesome. If Amaya was not so attracted to books, she might actually be on time for class once in a while. Or maybe she should just stop working at the National Library. _If I'm late one more time, they'll surely kick me out!! _she thought, although it was not that she desperately needed to go to class all the time. She learned faster than any other person in her class. She simply felt obligated to go.

          I really need an alarm clock! Why couldn't I have thought of being late if I took the extra time to read that book? I'm so mindless!

          She raced down the street, her unbuttoned black trench coat and her silver and black streaked hair streaming behind her. The biting January wind burned her face and ears, but she continued running.

          _Only one more block..._

          She was overcome by a cruel urgency, and senselessly concentrated solely on her destination point instead of the people around her. Her cat-like reflexes faltered for just a moment, but it was in just that moment that...

          SMACK

          _Oh no! OH NO!!_

          She was afraid to look up, afraid to see what she already knew—that she had run headfirst into an orange-haired young man who was about her age and had fallen completely on top of him; that she was a cat. 

          "Ara...?" A female's soft voice broke through Amaya's terrified thoughts. "Kyou-kun... You didn't change!"

          Amaya's eyes shot open and she jumped to her feet. _'You didn't change!' ...I didn't change! But... who's 'Kyou-kun'? And how could this girl... how could she know?_

          She looked confusedly from the other girl to the astonished young man who was still sitting on the ground. She felt completely helpless, completely bound to this spot by these two complete strangers. _Could they be members of my family?_ She questioned. After all, she never had met her family. In the entire eighteen years of which her life consisted, she had never met a single member of her family. _If they are... If they are... _A plethora of horrified, outraged notions contended in her mind.

          "Kyou-kun, is she another member of Juunishi?" the girl asked.

          _Juunishi? JUUNISHI?! She knows! Then they must be... related to me! ...My family... _Amaya clenched her fists in disgust, resentment, indignation, and wrath. 

          "...I have never seen her before in my entire life," the young man answered, in a shocked, monotone manner.

          "Of course you've never seen me before in your life!! And do you wonder why?? You and the rest my family locked me in the library my entire life, as if I were some terrible family secret, when you were carrying the Juunishi secret all along! As if I were somehow worse! Well, the monster is finally out of her cage, and she will exact her revenge!!" Amaya cried vehemently. Rage radiated from her being as she reached for the black and white prayer beads on her left wrist.

          "Matte!" the girl shouted, her voice shaking. 

          Amaya's eyes widened, and she stepped back, realising what had just transpired, what awful, rude things she had just said to these people she didn't even know. "Forgive me... Forgive me..." she muttered before turning to leave. If it weren't for her guilt, she would want to stay and find out who these people were, but she could not bear for them to see her. She wished she were invisible. 

          She took a step forward, right into an unsuspecting man in a suit. *poof* _Damn it... I am a cat for sure now..._

          The girl and the orange haired young man, out of reflex, did their best to cover up the fact that Amaya had transformed. The girl pretended she had actually been the one who had bumped into the man and skillfully caught the silver and black striped tabby cat that was Amaya in mid-air, while the orange haired young man speedily collected the girl's clothes from the ground. The three of them rushed into back street. 

          The girl placed Amaya on the ground. When the orange-haired young man saw which animal Amaya had turned into, he appeared even more astounded than he had been before. 

          "Sumimasen!" the girl said. Her voice was musical and gentle. Amaya started to doubt whether these people were members of her family. Someone with such a beautiful voice could not possibly be related to her family, who had done such cold things. "I didn't mean to be so rude!"

          "Rude? ...You saved me..." Amaya said quietly. The shame she had felt before increased twofold, as she discovered that these people had rescued her despite the horrid things she had screamed at them. It then occurred to her that they might have saved her simply to save themselves. Her anger returned, but she reminded herself to control her actions this time. 

          "How can she be a cat?!" the young man exclaimed furiously, drawing the attention of both females. "How could they hide this from me??" He threw Amaya's clothes on the ground and ran all the way back to his home, leaving the Amaya and the girl in the back street alone.

          "Ahh! Gomen nasai!" the girl exclaimed nervously. "Your clothes are all dirty now!" She hurriedly gathered them from the ground where the young man had thrown them. 

          "Don't worry about it," Amaya reassured her. Amaya was surprised that this girl was so kind to here. Nearly everyone else stayed relatively far away from her because of her strange hair, and because of what they would deem as her "odd behaviour." She generally kept to herself. Never had she met someone so warm.

          "Demo...!" The girl was still concerning herself with the state of the clothes when Amaya changed back to human form.

          "It's really alright," Amaya said as she received the bundle of clothes from the girl's outstretched arms. She dressed quickly. _This girl may be nice, but if she apologises anymore, I think I'll go crazy_, she thought.

          "Please, let me make you lunch to make up for it!!" the girl pleaded, bowing repeatedly.

          Amaya clenched her fists to keep her annoyance in check. Despite her attempts, her irritation was audible in her voice. "I don't even know your name. I said it was all right, anyway! Mattaku!" 

          "Honda Tohru desu! Douzo yoroshiku!" she exclaimed nervously, still bowing incessantly. 

          "Uhn. Ozaki Amaya desu. Yoroshiku." She put her hand over her face in mock embarrassment. _Stop bowing..._

          Tohru stopped. "Wait. Ozaki? You're not a Sohma?!" Her confusion and surprise was evident in her widened eyes.

          Amaya removed the hand from in front of her face. "Eh? Sohma? I've never even heard of Sohma..." Amaya did not know to what Tohru was referring. Why would it be surprising that she wasn't a Sohma? Who were the Sohma, anyway?"

          "But you're a Juunishi... aren't you? How can you be a Juunishi if you aren't a Sohma?"

          "So you mean to say that the Sohma family is a Juunishi family?"

          "The Sohma family is THE Juunishi family!"

          Amaya's eyes became enlarged at this new, shocking piece of information. "But... **my** family is the Juunishi family!"

          "But that's impossible!...isn't it?" Tohru was so utterly perplexed she very nearly fainted.

          Amaya didn't know what to think. That young man she had fallen on earlier must have been one of the Sohma, and also must have been a Juunishi, since she did not transform. But why would there be two Juunishi families? And if there were indeed two, why hadn't they met until now?

          "Ano... I don't really know what's going on, but please allow me to make lunch for you to make up for your soiled clothes. Besides, the Sohma would enjoy meeting you," Tohru said with a bit of agitation. 

          Amaya looked up. She had been looking down at the ground, pondering over her recent discovery. "Maa... I suppose I could use a little food..."

          Tohru's face transformed into the pure definition of happiness. She began bowing again, saying "Arigatou!" at least twice. "Ne, kochira!" she said once she was finished with her crazy bowing. She gleefully led Amaya back to Shigure's house.

          _Never have I seen anyone bow so much, _Amaya reflected while walking with Tohru. _Never have I seen anyone so happy to make lunch for someone she randomly met on the street. Not even the books I've read had characters like this girl. She is certainly unique..._

* * *

          Kyou burst through the front door, hardly taking the time to kick off his shoes before racing into the common room, looking for Shigure. He wasn't there.

          "Shigure!!!" he called with desperation and a hint of anger.

          Just as Kyou was about to run up the stairs, Shigure appeared at the top of the staircase. He was wearing his typical informal kimono, as usual, and his glasses. A newspaper was under his arm.

          "Oi, Kyou-kun. What's got you all excited? Where's Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked with his laid back tone of voice.

          "I don't know!" Kyou exclaimed, exasperated. This wasn't about Tohru. Shigure could be so dense.

          "You didn't let her get kidnapped by a molester, did you?" Shigure started coming down the stairs. 

          "Don't be stupid! The only molester around here is you!"

          "Maa, maa!" Shigure laughed and calmly strolled into the common room and sat down at the table. Kyou followed him into the room, but remained standing. There was no way he could calm down enough to sit down.

          "Ne, what is going on?" Shigure was suddenly serious. Kyou wouldn't have just leave Tohru like that if there hadn't been a good reason.

          "Shigure, did you know about that girl in the library?!" Kyou demanded.

          "Eh? What girl in the library?"

          "Thegirl!Thecatgirlthatwaslockedinthelibraryandescaped!" 

          "Kyou-kun! Calm down! I can't understand a word you're saying!"

          "The girl! The cat girl! In the library!"

          "Ne, Kyou-kun, I have absolutely no idea what you're babbling incoherently about. I spend quite a bit of my time in the library back at the main house until I graduated high school, and I never saw any cat girl in there. Calm down!"

          "Maybe there was another library! They kept it locked!"

          Shigure smiled mischievously, recalling the days of his youth. "Kyou-kun," he said earnestly, slyly. "Do I look that innocent to you? Aya and I sneaked into every possible forbidden area of that house when we were younger. There was not a corner that we missed, not a single secret part of that house we don't know about. Whatever it is you're talking about, you must be mistaken in it."

          Kyou looked spitefully at the elder Juunishi member. "If you're keeping something from me, you won't live to see tomorrow!" He turned hastily and ran out of the room to stake his usual post on the roof.

          Shigure remained in the common room, too lazy to trouble himself with Kyou's current state of mind, but still pondering the meaning of Kyou's outbursts. Could it be possible? Could they have made him forget something he had discovered? But Hatori would have been the one... Shigure rose and went to the phone to dial a call to the main house.

          Hatori picked up the phone on the other end. "Moshimoshi."

          "Ah, Hatori. There's a certain matter I would like to discuss with you." Once again, his tone was serious, as it very rarely was.

* * *

**Author's note:**

          I was trying to leave off on something suspenseful, but I couldn't think of anything . so hopefully you find this enough to make you want to read more. I might add more to this chapter instead of leaving off here, but this is where it ends for now. I'm not exactly sure where this story is going yet. I have a vague idea, but I'm sure I'll think of something wonderful. ^^;

          Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! I appreciate all reviews! And that means ALL. ^^ 

* * *

**Glossary:**

Matte: Wait  
Sumimasen: Excuse me/Forgive me/I'm sorry  
Gomen nasai: I'm sorry  
Demo: but  
Mattaku: geez!  
Douzo yoroshiku/yoroshiku: Nice to meet you  
Maa: well  
Kochira: this way  
Moshimoshi: hello (on the phone)


	3. Discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. The character Ozaki Amaya is of my own machinations, but I do not claim credit for the characters of Furuba.

Chapter 3: Discovery

          Tohru and Amaya soon arrived at Shigure's house in the woods. There weren't many places in Japan one could enjoy such seclusion and serenity. The only life outside of the library that Amaya had known was life in the city, or life on a college campus. The beauty of this house in the woods astounded her. She had only seen places like this in pictures in books at the library where she worked. The pictures didn't do justice to the peacefulness such places must have possessed. She now had a new appreciation of the country.

          They entered the front door, Tohru calling, "Tadaima!" as she entered. 

          Shigure came rushing to the foyer to happily say, "Okaeri!"

          Tohru smiled in return as she slipped off her shoes. 

          Shigure's eyes shifted over to Amaya, who was also removing her shoes. He, of course, being the pervert he was, looked quite pleased. "Haaaa? Who is this?" 

          "Ozaki Amaya desu. Yoroshiku," she introduced herself.

          "Ah! Yoroshiku!" he said, beaming. He began approaching her. "Ne, you wouldn't mind going for me, would----"

          SMACK

          Kyou had come down from the roof, having noticed Tohru returning with Amaya. 

          "Kyou-kuuun, why must you and Yuki-kun always spoil my fun?" Shigure drawled dejectedly. 

          "'Cuz you're an old pervert! That's why!" Kyou shouted avidly.

          The four of them shuffled into the common room. "Please have a seat, Amaya-san," Tohru said inviting her guest with a wave of her hand. "I'm going to go make lunch!" She bounced cheerfully into the kitchen, leaving Amaya alone with the two males.

          "Ne, Amaya-kun. What brings you here?" Shigure asked curiously.

          "Lunch," she replied curtly. That, of course, wasn't the only reason she was there, but she wasn't really sure just how much she should tell this man. Although he seemed very laid-back, there was something suspicious about him. Maybe it was the smirk that presented itself on his face after she said this. 

          Indeed, Shigure could tell by the look in her eyes that lunch wasn't her only reason for following Tohru home. Shigure may have been a jokester, but he was extremely perceptive and more intelligent than people gave him credit for being. "Well you came to the right place! No one makes food better than Tohru-kun!" he said cheerfully. If the visitor did not wish to disclose her real reasons for coming, he certainly wasn't going to push her.

          Kyou was sitting with his back to Amaya and Shigure, staring at the closed sliding doors. He was studying the repaired woodwork. It was almost all tape by now. Those doors had seen a lot of wear and tear... He listened to the silence occupying the room until Shigure's voice filled the void.

          "Do you go to school?"

          "Yes, but I wish I didn't. I could learn more on my own, but I need school so I have proof of my knowledge. No one will employ me in the future otherwise."

          "What school do you attend?"

          "Tokyo University. I'm a sophomore."

          "A sophomore? How old are you?" A hint of surprise was evident in his voice. She couldn't be very old, not any older than Tohru, Yuki, or Kyou, and Yuki was only a freshman in college.

          "Eighteen."

          "You're young for a sophomore!" He smiled happily to himself. _[And I like 'em young!]_

          Amaya shrugged. It didn't matter to her how old or young she was. She felt unchallenged by school. 

          Tohru entered the room and set up an eating-place for everyone present. "Shigure-san?" she asked. "Will Yuki-kun be home in time for lunch?"

          Shigure looked up at her through his glasses. "He should be."

          Tohru smiled happily and set a place for him. The look on her face would have been enough to disgust Kyou had he been looking. She turned to go back to the kitchen.

          "Ah, Tohru-kun," Shigure said, causing her to pause and turn back around. "Ha-san will be stopping by for lunch, too, so please set a place for him."

          "Hatori-san is? Is it time for Yuki's check up again?"

          Shigure smiled at the evident concern in her voice. He wished she and Yuki would finally admit the feelings they had for each other. _[It'll happen in its own due course_,_]_ he thought. "No, there is something important he and I must discuss."

          Amaya looked down at the table. She supposed Shigure knew about the Juunishi, too, and maybe he was even a part of the curse. She knew he was talking about her. There was no doubt in her mind that Kyou had informed him of her existence. 

          Tohru nodded dutifully. If she questioned it any more, it would have been rude. She returned to the kitchen and reappeared bearing platters full of lunch food. As she set the last plate down, the doorbell rang.

          "Ah! That must be Hatori-san!" She nearly dropped the platters carelessly, but managed to stop herself and placed them in the center of the table. She rushed out of the common room and to the foyer. She opened the door. Hatori stood to the left, dressed in his usual attire, but her attention was not on him. 

          Akito stood before her, dressed in close-fitting, black clothes, the same as when she had first met him. 

          "Akito-san?" she muttered softly with the surprise in her eyes betraying her thoughts.

          He smiled bitterly. "Aren't you going to invite me in, Tohru-san? Or are you just going to stare at me?" _[...Going to stare at me like the idiot you are?]_ His voice caused a chill to run down her spine.

          "Ahhh!!! Gomen nasai!! I'm so rude! Akito-san! Please come in!" 

          He entered casually, as if the house belonged to him, and as if he were reveling in his ownership of it. _[Ahh_,_]_ he thought gratifyingly. _[Another place I have influence...]_

          Hatori, his presence merely a shadow of Akito's, entered afterwards, a book under his arm. He glanced at Tohru apologetically. She simply remained in awe.

          After they took off their shoes, Tohru led them into the common room. Shigure stood up, hearing their approach. "Ha-sa---!" he began to shout enthusiastically as he spun to face the newcomers, but his eyes fell on Akito, as did Amaya's eyes, and Kyou's. Akito commanded the attention of the entire room simply with his presence of authority.

          Akito's face twisted into a cold, crooked smile. "Am I not welcome in your house, Shigure?"

          "Of course that is untrue! I just didn't expect you." Shigure hoped that was enough to curb Akito's easily provoked anger. He was sure the look of shock on his face was evident to anyone who as much as glanced at him. He could hardly be blamed for it, since it, after all, was Akito's first actual visit to his home.

          Akito's interest, however, was not on Shigure. He couldn't care less whether Shigure wanted him there or not. Instead, his eyes were on Amaya. She sat uncomfortably on her mat, evading his gaze and feeling his eyes pierce through her. She got the feeling that he knew who she was even before the introduction.

          Tohru, standing helpless in the doorway behind Hatori, felt much tension in the room. She walked past Hatori and Akito and into the center of the room. "Akito-san, Hatori-san, I've just made lunch. Please join us!" She motioned towards the two empty places she had set, as she sat down at her own place. _[Well, if Yuki comes in time, I'll just excuse myself and get him another plate. There's no use in delaying lunch any further. Oh, I hope there is food left for him! I wasn't expecting so many people for lunch! Especially not Akito-san! Oh, I hope he likes my cooking!!]_

Hatori sat at his designated place and Akito sat himself down where Yuki would have sat had he been there. He kept his eyes on Amaya while Tohru served the food. His expression was indiscernible, but whatever it was, it probably wasn't anything kind. Tohru was afraid to distract his focus in order to ask him how much food he wanted. 

          Amaya looked down at her plate as Tohru filled it with delicious-looking food, uneasy under Akito's gaze. She was afraid to move.

          Finally, once everyone was served, Tohru enthusiastically exclaimed, "Itadakimasu!" Everyone began to eat. 

          Amaya felt more relaxed by the warm, savory meal. Akito's eyes were still fixed upon her, but her eating was a welcome distraction. 

          "How do you like it, Akito-san?" Tohru asked politely. She was nervous to hear the answer, but she was curious all the same.

          "It's bland," he said flatly, his eyes flashing momentarily with malice, as his comment was made with caustic intentions. Indeed, he enjoyed a much more sophisticated cuisine at the main house. Tohru's cooking was actually quite palatable, but he was in a foul mood.

          Tohru, however, wouldn't let Akito's comment ruin her spirit. She laughed self-consciously, hoping her own smile would cheer her up.

          Kyou scowled at Akito's insult to Tohru's cooking, but he was looking at his food. He didn't dare lift his eyes and direct his disapproval at the family head. He didn't want Akito to create a scene. Although Akito was usually much more controlled in public, he was still very unpredictable.

          "I like it," Amaya said. No one who knew Akito would openly admit to a differing opinion in his presence, but Amaya did not know him. It was the first time she had spoken since he arrived, and the first time she met his gaze. Her eyes were filled with defiance. _[How dare he make me, a perfect stranger to him, uncomfortable with his eerie glare? How dare he insult this wonderful meal and the kind, innocent girl who prepared it?] _As far as Amaya knew, he didn't live in that house, and he had showed up spontaneously without an invitation. _[What gives him the right to create such tension?]_

Akito glowered at her with authoritative enmity. He admired her honesty, since he was always so annoyed when members of the Sohma family tiptoed around him, but he could not allow for such disrespect from the girl. He was the Sohma family head, after all, and even if she wasn't a Sohma member, she should at least acknowledge and respect his position. When he was sure the appropriate impact had been made, he turned to Tohru and callously said, "Tohru-san, it was incredibly rude of you to not introduce me to your other guest."

          Tohru's eyes widened with embarrassment. _[Ahh! How could I be so stupid?!]_ she thought. "Ahhhh! Akito-san! Gomen nasai!! I'm so sorry for being so rude!" 

          _[Stupid girl,]_ he thought to himself while she was hysterically apologizing. He laughed, satisfied, to himself. _[It was because my presence frightened her, distracted her. I have an impact on everyone in this room. They are at my mercy.] _A menacing smile spread momentarily across his features. At his own home, he would have reveled in his power and influence over everyone, but he knew he should at least show a little decency while at someone else's home, even if it was his money that paid Shigure's bills. 

          "Akito-san, please meet Ozaki Amaya!" Tohru said, flustered. 

          Hatori dropped his chopsticks. "Ozaki?"

          "Ozaki??" Kyou echoed, looking up from the table and to the female guest.

          Kyou had thought she was a Sohma; Hatori had heard the name before. Shigure sat with a rare, concentrated look upon his face, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Tohru smiled nervously at the apparent shock of Hatori and Kyou.

          [Tohru thought I was a Sohma. Kyou probably thought so, too... but the others... Have they heard my family name before? Do they know about my family?]

          Hatori glanced over at Akito, finding a smirk of twisted pleasure upon his face. "Akito... Did you know?"

          "It was obvious. She possesses the same characteristics of her errant family."

          Amaya was insulted that this mysterious stranger would use such words about her. No, she was not errant. Never would she lock up an innocent child in a library for his entire life. She stared at him contemptuously. "How dare you go off saying such things about me?"

          Akito's bone-chilling laughter echoed throughout the room. "I know more about you than you do about yourself." 

**Author's Note:**

I hope you like the new chapter! I think I kinda wandered from the point a bit... Hope you don't mind. But anyway, please review!! I typed this up pretty quickly, so if you notice any typos, don't hesitate to inform me! Any ideas and constructive criticism are welcome! 

**Glossary:**

Tadaima = I'm home

Okaeri = Welcome back


	4. Wrath

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. This fic is merely paying homage to the genius of the creator.

Reflection

Chapter 4:Wrath

By Ozaki Amaya

          Yuki approached the house, pleasantly thinking of Tohru. He longed for lunch, simply because she was the one who made it. He sighed wistfully and opened the front door. "Tadaima!" he called. His voice echoed in the foyer, but he heard no delighted "okaeri" from Tohru, nor a mirthful "okaeri" from Shigure. 

          _Are they home?_ he wondered. _Or busy?_

          He slipped off his shoes and went upstairs to put his bag in his room and change out of his school clothes. No one was upstairs, and as far as he had been able to tell, no one was downstairs, either. 

          As he descended the steps after having dressed, he heard an icy peal of laughter emanating from the common room. He would know that laugh anywhere. He skipped the remaining stairs and landed with a light thud on the lower level of the house, and proceeded with haste into the common room.

          He entered to hear Akito's spiteful words, "I'm surprised your family never told you of your origins, or of us. After all, it was we who caused your family to become cursed."

          "Akito..." The family head's name escaped Yuki's lips as he stood, awe-struck, in the doorway. Akito had never come to visit Shigure's house before, due to his anger at Shigure's irreversible decision to leave the main house. His current presence meant something was awry. 

          Six pairs of eyes shifted to the doorway. No one in the room had heard him enter, and they were surprised at hearing his utterance.

          Akito smiled darkly. "Ah, Yuki. How nice of you to join us," he scoffed.

          "What's going on?" he demanded.

          "Look around."

          He surveyed the room. _Akito... Hatori... Shigure... Tohru... Kyou... And... Who is that?_ His eyes fell upon the young woman with the silver and black streaked hair. _A guest? Did he bring her? Who is she? Why...?_ She was looking up at him meekly, and he felt stupid for not noticing her earlier. He had never seen her before, but if he hadn't already known all of the Juunishi, he would have sworn she was one of them. 

          Akito's first statement echoed in his mind. _"After all, it was we who caused your family to become cursed." _

_          Could she really be cursed?_ he thought.

          "I was just about to tell Ozaki Amaya the origin of her family's version of the Juunishi curse," the family head continued.

          _Juunishi?!?! _Yuki's eyes shifted towards the guest. _Somehow... I knew it..._

          "Please," he said sinuously, "take a seat." He motioned to the empty place next to him. "You should hear it, too, since it concerns all of us."

          Yuki hesitated. He wanted to refuse, but there was a sort of finality in the way Akito said things that made defiance impossible. He cautiously sauntered over and sat.

          Akito fed off of Yuki's dislike for him, and his imperial presence seemed to strengthen. He straightened himself up. Akito's ice-cold eyes flashed with rage as he prepared to tell the story innate within him, passed down to every family head since it took place. The people in the room shifted away from him with prudence. It was evident that whatever he was about to say evoked a rancor deep within him. 

          "She was my pet." His voice was metallic and seemed almost metaphysical and unfamiliar.

          Yuki backed away slightly with the realisation of this vocal transformation. The harsh tone reminded him all too well of the hours spent in _that room_ when he was a child. He shuddered. An arctic hand gripped his shoulder, preventing him from moving any farther. Yuki flinched at the contact.

          Akito looked straight at him, his eyes full of malice. His hold strengthened. "Don't leave," he hissed.

          Yuki turned his head, evading Akito's threatening glare, and Akito released his grasp, satisfied that Yuki understood him.

          Akito glanced about the room without really seeing anyone. He continued his eerie monologue. "No one else was allowed to speak with her. They were afraid of her because I told them to be. They obeyed my every command, as did she. I thought I had broken her independent spirit and bound her unto me for eternity, but I was... mistaken." His voice became harsher the moment he admitted his error. Pain and rage flickered in his eyes. 

          He gripped the table forcefully. Yuki could tell he was beginning to lose control, but he dared not move, lest Akito's attention be turned towards him, thus causing him to suffer the consequences. Akito's grip tightened and his face displayed a grimace of horrifying depravity. He fiercely ground his teeth, and then let out a blood-curdling yell of rage. He stood and upturned the table with the obvious intention of harming Amaya. "It's all your fault! Your fault!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!" he screamed in her direction.

          Shigure, Hatori, Kyou, and Yuki were all on their feet now, attempting to restrain the raging Akito, while Tohru was helping Amaya out from under the upturned table. _Thankfully_, Tohru thought, _she is uninjured._

          Akito resisted with much strength, more strength than he usually possessed. All were shocked to see him react so adamantly towards the stranger—even Hatori, who knew the story as well.

          "Tohru-kun!" Shigure called out desperately above Akito's unintelligible curses. "Get her out of here!"

          Tohru nodded in understanding and shakily led a stunned and bruised Amaya into the kitchen. Upon entering, the silver and black haired girl collapsed to her knees. "...My fault?" she gasped. "What could I have possibly done to elicit such vehemence and ire? And if such a thing occurred, how could I have forgotten?" She trailed off and stared at the floor. _Could this be the reason...?_

          Tohru placed a hand on Amaya's shoulder to try to provide some comfort, but Amaya flinched. She had never been touched by another human being before, since she normally steered clear of others, fully knowing the complications of her curse, and it made her feel uneasy. 

          "Ah! Gomen nasai!" Tohru exclaimed, worried that she may have caused further damage.

          "Iie... I should be the one to apologise. I have caused trouble for you."

          "It is not your fault," Tohru said, smiling. "No matter what, you'll have a place here."

          Amaya looked up. "But you... don't even know me!"

          "It doesn't matter. I know you're a good person! Everyone has goodness in him." She simpered sweetly. "That's what my mother used to tell me."

          _She really believes that? I would like to, but I... just can't. That would mean the members of my family... the ones who imprisoned me... they would have goodness in them? No... that doesn't seem right. And yet... this girl... she believes that... with all her heart. I can't bring myself to argue with her..._

          Back in the common room, efforts to restrain the maniacal family head became expedited by Amaya's exit, though Akito did not stop struggling until they reluctantly released him. 

          "I want her dead," he hissed. "I will kill her a thousand times if I have to, but she will pay for what she did to me." He approached Kyou, who stood his ground. "As will _you_." He walked slowly across the room, four pairs of eyes following his every move.

          _'As will you'? _Kyou thought as he cautiously surveyed Akito, prepared to jump forwards if Akito raged forth once more. _What have I ever done to him?_

          "Hatori," the venomous voice rasped. "It's time to go."

          Hatori shot a look at Shigure that communicated, "I'll be back later," as Akito commandingly led the way out of the house. 

          Once they left, the remaining three let out a collective sigh of relief. Yuki and Kyou silently began to clean up the mess Akito had made with the upturning of the table, while Shigure entered the kitchen to inform Tohru that the coast was clear.

          "Tohru-kun," he called lovingly. He entered to find her kneeling on the floor with Amaya. "Akito has left. You should help Yuki and Kyou clean up the table."

          "Ah!" She rose to her feet. "Hai!" She opened up the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a roll of paper towels before bouncing energetically out of the kitchen. 

          "Amaya-kun," Shigure said softly. "I don't know what he thinks you've done, but it isn't hard to provoke his wrath. Whatever it was seemed to have stuck with him, but you'll be safe under this roof."

          Amaya looked at him with the same surprised eyes with which she had beheld Tohru. "But I can't stay here! I have school! And a job! And—"

          "I think you'd better take a vacation," he strongly advised. _I have seen Akito's bouts of rage before, but never have they been so intense. Never has he so passionately desired such revenge as death. He has merely created unhappiness for most and delighted in such creation. That wasn't just an outburst. He wasn't just being his volatile, moody self. He wasn't just playing with her. This is something deeper, something only he remembers. _He exited the kitchen, Amaya following behind. "Good news everyone!" he sang out upon entering the common room.

          Yuki, Kyou, and Tohru looked up from their work.

          "Amaya-kun is staying with us!"

          Tohru's face lit up. "Hontou ni?!" she squealed with delight. _Oh it will be so nice to have another female in the house! Not that I don't appreciate Yuki, Kyou or Shigure. It will just be nice to share this house with another female!_

          "Hontou," Shigure said with a delighted grin. He loved seeing Tohru happy, but inwardly, he knew the risks of setting Amaya out into the world alone again. With Akito as seething as he was, no one would know what could happen at his hands. 

          "Where am I going to sleep?" Amaya asked quietly, almost to herself. She felt like such an intruder, but then again, she always had felt that way, no matter where she was. 

          Shigure turned to her, a huge, mischievous smile on his face. "You can sleep in _my_—"

          SMACK.

          "Debauchee," Kyou muttered as he returned to his cleaning.

          Shigure rubbed the back of his head. "Kyou-kun!" he pouted. "If you keep doing that, I'll have a permanent lump on my head!"

          "And if you keep being such a pervert, I'll make sure that you _do_!" Kyou yelled back.

          Amaya raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but laugh. Though Kyou's words were violent, she could sense in him indefinable warmth. The four people looked at her curiously. These sorts of things had become so habitual to them that they failed to notice the humour. Feeling their confused stares, she cleared her throat and looked at the ground.

          Tohru smiled earnestly. "Would you like to see the house, Amaya-san?"

          She looked up and timidly returned Tohru's smile. "Sure." She followed Tohru out of the room and up the stairs.

          Shigure sat on the floor with a heavy sigh and a concerned expression on his face. Yuki and Kyou were still cleaning the room.

          "You could help you know," Kyou said edgily, failing to notice Shigure's sombre expression, so incongruous on his usually coquettish features. 

          "No, thanks," the writer replied mildly.

          Yuki, being the more observant of the two young men, however, was able to perceive the dog's change in manner. "Shigure... What are you thinking?"

          "We all must make sure Akito does not come in close contact with that girl."

          "I understand. He was... different that time..."

          Kyou stopped cleaning and looked at the other two. "You mean..."

          "He was completely serious," Shigure finished. _Akito was mistaken that one time, he said. He always makes us follow what he says, not allowing us to contradict him, not allowing us to believe that what he says isn't right. His word is the final word, always. He must have taken a big blow when he erred... _

          "And that's why you got her to stay here?" Yuki wondered.

          "Exactly why. No one else needs to suffer Akito's wrath. Besides, whatever she did probably isn't worthy of such anger." _It was a blow to his pride... and so he must retaliate..._

"Nothing he gets worked up about is worth the trouble, but that doesn't stop him," Kyou noted.

          "Could one say the same about you, baka neko?" Yuki interjected.

          "Don't class me with that psycho, k'so nezumi!!!" The angered feline tossed his paper towel on the floor and began rolling up his sleeves, preparing for a bout with his long-time rival.

          "Kyou-kun, this is not the time to fight. Leave it for later," Shigure said, adopting a fatherly tone.

          Kyou clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and bent over to pick up his towel. He sulkily returned to cleaning. Neither he nor Yuki liked seeing Shigure so serious, but the circumstances certainly called for it. All the same, no matter how lazy or perverted he got, Yuki and Kyou much preferred Shigure's light-hearted antics.

          "We need to do everything in our power to make her comfortable here, to make her safe," Shigure continued. 

          Amaya was mostly unamused by the things Tohru excitedly showed her. She found it hard to want to jump up and down about the bathroom or its location. She was, however, very inspired by Tohru's energy. Never had she met anyone with such enthusiasm. It was enough to make her want to possess an equal level of enthusiasm, but it simply was not in her character.

          Nevertheless, Tohru's dauntless cheerfulness made Amaya feel immensely welcomed in this otherwise foreign household. She could instantly recognise Tohru's influence. She was the one who held the family together.

          "This is my room!" Tohru said vivaciously as she opened the door to her bedroom. "Isn't it _beautiful_??"

          Pink. Pink everywhere. A dizzying amount of pink. "I abhor pink," Amaya replied, without forethought. Unfortunately, she realised the significance of what she had said _after_ she had said it. "I mean... uh... it's nice!" she stammered nervously. She certainly did not wish to insult her wonderful hostess, or seem too picky. She, however, lacked tact and had the horrible habit of saying the first thing that came to her mind.

          Tohru simply smiled sweetly in return. "I knew you would like it!"

          _She really only hears what she wants, doesn't she?_ Amaya thought, while Tohru was delightedly describing the value of all her knick-knacks, much to Amaya's boredom. 

          Hatori returned a few hours later (and just in time for dinner) with the same book tucked under his left arm. "I must apologise for having had to bring Akito earlier," he said upon Tohru's opening the door. 

          "Don't mention it, Hatori-san!" she replied with a forgiving smile. "Please come in!"

          His face was expressionless as he stepped inside the house. He had other things on his mind besides his guilt at bringing Akito to Shigure's house that afternoon. 

          The younger members of the household greeted him anxiously, desiring to know the underlying cause for Akito's behaviour. He entered silently, avoiding their expectant eyes as if it were Christmas and he'd forgotten to get them presents. He met Shigure's eyes with a look of desperation that expressed his thoughts: "I can't tell them this." 

          Shigure nodded in understanding. "Maa, maa, children! Don't crowd him!" he said in his singsong voice, renewing his countenance of levity. 

          "Aho!" Kyou was quick to reply. "We are NOT children! If anyone's a child here, it's YOU!" 

          Shigure simply laughed tauntingly and strolled casually into the common room, the rest following behind.

          Tohru served dinner and everyone began to eat, the younger ones impatiently awaiting Hatori's explanation. An uneasy silence filled the room.

          Unable to tolerate the thick tension in the room, Kyou struck the table angrily with his fist. "Why don't you say anything?! Why did he say that I will pay for what I have done?? What did I do? I have a right to know!" 

          Hatori turned to him passively and exhaled. "Be patient, Kyou. Some information is better left unknown."

          "Na... Nani?! So you aren't going to tell me? I'm never going to know?!" Kyou vehemently jumped up from his seated position. "So why did you come here again, then?!"

          The doctor was silent, a pained expression drawing over his features. Kyou was right. He had every reason to be curious. But Hatori knew that the information he carried had the possibility of dramatically shifting the lives of everyone in the room towards the more horrid side. It was true that, by simply coming into contact with Ozaki Amaya, the lives of the Sohmas would be altered considerably, and probably not in any advantageous way. But the worst was yet to come, and Hatori did not want to be responsible for it. Kyou's was one question he simply could not allow himself to answer. More memories from the past did not need to surface. Not yet.

          "A... Ano... Kyou-kun?" Tohru stuttered shyly. "You don't have to be so anxious," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "I'm sure we will all find out eventually just what is going on. Please just enjoy your meal and try not to think about it so much. It's okay to wonder about it, but it will come eventually."

          Her musical voice had an immediate sedating effect on his nerves and he quickly calmed down and resumed his place at the table. _I don't know what it is about this that makes me feel so frustrated... so played around with and used... It's a feeling I can't control... but I hope I soon find out... Soon..._

**Author's Note:**

Thank you, Maeko, for pointing out my typos. ^^ I can be a bit hasty sometimes. ^^'' And in response to your "Shigure's money" question, I vaguely remember the mention of the main house paying for his house. I could be remembering incorrectly, though, so I'll have to go back and check. ^^

Thank you, everyone, for all your comments! They really gave me motivation to continue this story, so I hope I don't disappoint!

This chapter was a little hard for me to write for reasons I do not quite remember right now. And the next chapter might be kind of boring. Just as a fair warning... but it will be important. (I'll do my best to make it worthwhile. ^^) 

Anyway, I do sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially since I had such a hard time writing it. Please review! It's what keeps me going. ^^ 

Edit: 4/30/03—I decided to change my idea, 'cuz I was having major writers' block in regards to what I had originally planned. I think it will go this way better, too, because it's probably more accurate to characters. Hope you're not too disappointed with my changes!! (Please tell me if you are. I'm curious, but I probably wouldn't be able to change it back due to writers' block issues.) I wish I had been able to go along as planned, but alas! Hope you understand. ^^


End file.
